Whiteout A Bughead Fanfiction
by 0TheTownWithPep0
Summary: Winter break was supposed to be incredible... but when a blizzard rocks the roads, Jughead and Betty find themselves in a wrecked car on the side of the road. A Riverdale / Bughead fanfiction in which Betty and Jughead get hurt in a blizzard.
1. Chapter 1: Warning Sign

**Chapter One**

"Jug!" Betty called from the car, resting her arm on the half rolled down the car window. "Let's get going."

Jughead called back an okay and Betty shifted to the steering wheel when she heard the trunk slam shut. Hopping in the passenger's seat, the young man grinned over at his girlfriend.

Sometimes a weekend out of town was exactly what was needed. Riverdale tended to be… suffocating.

Planting a kiss on her boyfriend's lips, Betty grinned back. After a moment, she pulled away and started up the car. Jughead slipped off his heavy winter coat and tossed it in the back.

"Five hours to Riverdale. Maybe we can make it before my mom makes dinner," Betty declared as the car stuttered soothingly alive and started on the thinly snowed road. "I get to choose the music." she then added before Jughead could start up a song.

Her boyfriend made a face but shrugged. "Fine," he huffed dramatically.

* * *

Around six in the afternoon, the snow began to pick up. Flakes of the Winter Wonderland blew from all directions, and the closer they got to Riverdale, the more snow was beginning to pile up on the roads.

"Where is the snow plowing truck when you need it?" Betty grumbled under her breath.

Jughead looked up from his book and raised an eyebrow. He was wrapped in his coat, which had found its way back to him in the four hours they'd been in the car. "Sleeping?" he offered in a very unhelpful way.

Letting out a dry laugh, the young woman focused her eyes on the road once more. The road was as dead as the victim in Jughead's book. Still, she had slowed down slightly, the harsh winds and fast approaching blizzard making her wary.

"You cold?" Jug asked suddenly, and Betty found him looking over at her from the corner of her eye. "I'm sure we have a blanket or something in the backseat." He put down his book and unbuckled, reaching into the back.

Betty felt her eyes dart from the road to Jughead. "Jug, stop! Buckle up!"

"Wait a moment. I think there's a blanket. Keep your eyes on the road, I'll just be a second."

The young woman bit her lip but begrudgingly looked back to the road. She could barely see in front of her. "Is there a hotel or something nearby?" it didn't seem safe to drive in this weather. Had they not checked the weather? Betty was sure she had before leaving.

Jughead was quiet, and she heard some shuffling in the back before an 'aha!' Moving back to his seat, the Serpent pulled a cozy plaid blanket from the back. "Here you go, my lady."

Betty glanced over at him, laughing softly and shaking her head. "Mhm, thanks, now buckle up!" Taking the blanket from him, she felt her hands briefly leave the steering wheel.

The car jerked in the snow. Panic flooded Betty and she abandoned the blanket, reaching for the wheel. She heard Jughead say something, but it was drowned out in the adrenaline that thumped in her ears.

She remembered screaming in fear for Jughead, then the lack of gravity, then nothing.

It was cold. Very cold. Frost seemed to hang on her eyelids as she woke up. Her eyes remained shut. The second thing she noticed was the silence. It was almost peaceful.

She was crushed between something but didn't move her hands to help herself out.

Then she heard a groan. Not sure if it was her or something else, the young woman tried opening her eyes. They felt so heavy, but she managed to blink them open.

Everything hit her at once. The severe pain, the fear, her name, what had happened, Jughead. Jughead! Another groan, more of a mumble, as she tried to shout for him.

The car had flipped. More than once it had seemed. Her own seatbelt seemed to be locked, preventing her from moving even more. Glass scattered the snowy ground, along with a lot of car pieces. And blood. The car was tipped over. A new fear struck her. Where was Jughead?

She tried turning her head, ignoring the flaming hurt as much as possible. Her boyfriend was on the floor, laying on the car top, now the floor, and snow without movement. No! She could barely breathe, or else she would've tried to call out his name. The seat belt and crushed car from keeping her from falling, and breathing.

Betty let out a strangled scream. Blood dripped into her left eye. Was she bleeding? Instantly, tears and blood with her eyes before falling to the ground. So the blood that freckled the snow was hers?

No! She couldn't be hurt if Jughead was. She needed to help him. Her hand tried to move to the seat belt, pressing against the button desperately, but her hand was shaking too much. Why was it _so _cold? Finally, she was able to jam her thumb on the button and Betty was dropped. She hit the hard ground with a thud.

Air seemed to leave her in a snap. Tears flooded her eyes as she tried to move across the ground. Glass cut into her clothing, leaving painful marks on her chest as she crawled. It was a short distance that seemed like forever.

She tried calling out to Jughead again, but her voice hadn't returned to her. Reaching her shaky hand out, she rested it on Jughead's arm. He seemed to be laying on his coat, and it was now she could see he was breathing. Hope flared in her chest.

He was alive!

She couldn't see from her left eye anymore, for it was far too blurry, but she knew Jughead was there. Betty gripped his shirt in her fist and shifted closer to him. The glass cut deeper.

She mouthed his name, but still, no sound but a choked sob escaped. She slowed her blinking, pressing her face to his arm. Feeling comforted, lulled even, by her breathing, the female let out a shaky breath. He was alive. Betty shook him. His body rocked before he jolted awake.

A feeling of success rested heavily on her chest. He was alive. She closed her eyes and felt him move. Now that she knew Jughead was breathing, she could rest… There was no reason to stay awake now…

Exhaustion pulled her into a light slumber but she heard his voice.

"Betty!"

* * *

**_A/N: Hope you liked this new story! It should be medium length, and most likely nobody will die. I love bughead too much 3 Leave a review and follow!_**


	2. Chapter 2: It Hurts

**Chapter Two **

The moment he felt tugging on his arm, Jughead's eyes shot open. For a moment, he was stunned with a dizzy confusion. Where was he? Why was it so cold? The unsureness lasted a heartbeat, and when he saw Betty, he found he didn't particularly care what had happened.

"Betty!" he found himself gasping. Struggling to a more mobile position, he ducked his head to avoid hitting it on the car's vehicular paraphernalia.

His girlfriend's body was littered on the ground, a blood trail slinking from the- his gaze traveled upward slightly- driver's seat. This was not how it should be, in fact, now that this had come to his attention, nothing was as it should be. The car was upside down and snow piled up every which way.

They had been flung to the glass top of the car, well- the bottom at the moment.

His entire scouting of the car had lasted only a few seconds, and before he knew it, Jughead kneeled beside Betty. Pulling her into his arms, he felt his heart lurch in his chest. Like a lion trapped in a cage. Betty's matted hair was stuck to his forehead, which was patched with blood and glass.

She must've been hit by the glass when the car flipped. Briefly, Jughead wondered why she was in such a bad state when he was much less injured. Then he realized that it had been Betty who had saved him. The memory hit him just as painfully as it was too see Betty curled up to his chest in agony.

_Betty shoved the blanket away, hands flying to the steering wheel, but it was too late. The car had changed direction in the fierce winds and was heading toward a snowbank. The blanket was thrown back in the young man's hands and he was too stunned to move it away in time._

_Jughead let out a yell, his body naturally moving toward Betty to shield her, but he was jerked back as the car drove headfirst into the sudden gap of snow. It should have stopped. But the car kept going, flipping over. _

_Pain blossomed in his head as he banged it against the car's side, but the soft blanket had softened the impact as the window shattered. _

By pushing away the blanket, Betty had saved Jughead. His hand drifted to his head for a moment, and instead of being sticky with blood, he assumed it would only bruise.

If they got out of there alive.

No, they would.

"Betty, stay with me…" Jughead felt her pulse, relief washing over him when he felt the faint heartbeat. "Wake up." he pleaded, voice cracking slightly.

Blood was seeping onto her face, long crimson vines stretching across her face from the gash in her head. He winced. Why couldn't they switch places? He'd do anything for them to switch places. Pulling his sleeve over his hand, he wiped some of the blood from her eyes. It smeared, but eventually cleared up her line of sight. Betty groaned in response.

"Can you talk? Betty?" Jughead looked around desperately. They were crowded against the glassy car roof, and he pulled the coat over to him. Carefully, he placed Betty down on the coat, trying to protect her from the tiny shards of glass that littered their surroundings. "Come on…"

Suddenly, she shifted. Her eyes remained shut, but she made a shaky sound as her breath quivered. Jughead bit his lip and turned her so she was laying on her back. Blood was smudged on her stomach and chest, and shiny glass pierced her body.

Should he pull out the glass? Or would she bleed out? Hopelessness spread through the young man. "Come on, Betts," he begged. "Please. Please stay awake. Talk to me. Tell me if you can hear me! Please!" Tears streaked his face as he looked around for a phone.

While Jughead couldn't find either of their phones, he was sure he could. He had to. But how could he leave Betty?

"Ju…" she whispered without moving much.

The Serpent's eyes flashed to his girlfriend, and he saw her eyes flutter weakly. "Yes!" Jughead gasped, more tears spilling from his eyes. "That's it, stay awake… don't sleep."

Betty's head moved up slowly, then down in a nod. "I won't, promise…" While her words were shaky and quiet, she was talking. Her hand reached for Jughead's, and he took it quickly. Her fingers and palm were ice cold, but from the way she shivered, he was sure his were too.

"Where does it hurt, Betts?"

Silence. Panic flooded him before she began speaking, slowly. "My… my…" He didn't rush her. While Jughead wanted to tell her to be quiet and keep her strength, he needed to know how to help. "...head… and chest…"

"Yeah, you're not in the best shape, Betts, but you'll be fine. I promise. I promise we'll get out of here." But his promise was empty and hopeless. "I have to find our phones. Keep breathing."

She nodded weakly, and yet determination seemed to flood her. Still, the young woman's eyes remained shut.

Moving away slightly, the Serpent King felt the bitter cold all over again. It cut into his face as he searched the car. Nothing. His gaze glanced outside the car, at the puffy white snow outside. Why did it have to be Winter? Jughead squeezed out of the window gap, the glass that had formerly surrounded it was probably buried in Betty's body. Guilt pulsed through him.

I'm sorry Betty.

The moment he stepped out into the snow, he wished he hadn't. His head spun, and he stumbled backward, hand jolting out to catch himself on the car. He'd gotten hurt in the accident, but he still didn't know where. At least the pain distracted him from the snow that reached his shin.

His feet dragged in the freezing cold snow, vision blurring then unblurring sporadically. "Betty?" he called to the car.

"I'm here." she answered in a quiet voice. "Jug… check…" There was a long pause. "...the dashboard. My phone… should be…" she broke off again. This time she didn't continue.

Jughead quickly hurried back to the car, Betty was struggling to get to her knees. "No, Betty, stay down. I'll check the dashboard, but I don't want you to overexert yourself." She ignored him, still trying to heave herself into a sitting position.

Quickly, the young man entered the car, hissing in pain when a jagged piece of glass cut into his jeans and skin. Biting the inside of his mouth, he ignored the sudden burst of agony as he rushed to Betty.

She was sobbing.

"Betty… Betty, what's wrong? Talk to me…" He murmured as he dropped to his knees and pulled her close to him.

"It hurts… so much. But I…" her breath wavered. "...want to help. Please." Her body shook with another sudden blossom of grief. "It's my fault. I'm sorry! Please… let me help… please-"

Jughead wrapped his arms around her gently. "Shh… it's okay… you didn't do anything wrong. It's okay… I need you to keep your strength up. I'll check the dashboard for your phone. Okay?"

Betty nodded miserably, and eventually, Jughead let her lay down again. Though this time her eyes remained open, along with the occasional blink and shudder. From the cold of sadness, he wasn't sure.

Heaving himself to the middle of the car roof, he lifted his arms up toward the glove department. His fingers fumbled with the area before he finally managed to open it. Supplies scatter the ground. First aid kit, napkins, and Betty's phone!

"You're phone! It's here!" Jughead started, hope skipping in his chest. He picked it up with trembling fingers and clicked the power button.

Once.

Twice.

The battery icon showing it was dead appeared.

* * *

"_It felt as if she were bleeding - but it wasn't blood that leaked out of her, not something that could be easily transfused. Instead, she was losing her dreams." -Kristin Hannah_

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_**A/N: Second chapter- done! Tell me what you all think? What do you all think should happen? Reviews are always appreciated! Thanks for reading!**_


	3. Chapter 3: Bandage Me

**Chapter Three **

An unexpected burst of rage rocked through Jughead, and he felt the phone slip out of his hands and hit the floor with a clattering sound. Running a hand through his wild hair, he felt that he wasn't wearing his hat. For once though, he didn't really care.

"You dropped it." Betty huffed and Jughead turned to see his girlfriend picking up her phone with shaky hands. Crimson liquid spotted her pale fingers, and he realized the glass shards lodged in her palm with a jolt.

The first-aid kit!

Ducking down, Jughead swiped up the kit and hurried over to Betty. Sitting down beside her, he shakily opened the small box. It was filled to the brim with supplies, and Jughead honestly thought he'd cry in relief.

It was a smaller first aid kit, but it was stocked as full as it could. Of course, his Betty would be prepared for anything. "Betty…" he whispered. She moaned in pain. "Let me see your head."

Leaning forward, the young man brushed some hair from her forehead, revealing a gash on her hairline. It seemed deep and he felt panic rise inside of him before he gathered himself and searched through the first aid kit. His fingers brushed against a bottle of ibuprofen and he snatched it up the moment he noticed it.

Shaking two pills from the battle, he instructed Betty to open her mouth, she did. Then he told her to take the pills. She did. Quickly, he took two himself before putting the bottle on the ground carefully. The pills were dry on his tongue and throat, but he ignored it the best he could.

As carefully as possible, Jughead dabbed the blood that crusted Betty's forehead.

Next, the young man took out a mini bottle of saline solution with trembling fingers and applied the cleansing material to the gash on her head. Betty cried out in shocked pain but didn't speak. "You're doing so great, Betty, just focus on your breathing."

Brushing some excessive solution from her face with his shirt, Jughead clutched his hands to his stomach, breathing on them to warm them off. After his moment of rigid coldness, Jughead rummaged through the kit for something to bandage the wound up with. After what seemed like ages, he spotted a wrapping of gauze pads and quickly snatched it up.

Within a few minutes, he had wrapped the gauze around Betty's head, despite her weak protests. "It should start feeling better soon, Betts… Just hold on for me, okay? Please?"

Silence.

"Betty!"

Jughead's girlfriend shifted slightly, her eyes struggling to flutter open. "Jug, thank you," she finally said quietly. Her voice was barely more than a rustling in the wind, a scratchy, pained wind. Then, "Jug?"

Getting to work on the glass that stuck to her hands, Jughead looked in her beautiful eyes. "Yes?" He asked and he carefully pulled shards of glasses from her palm.

"Where are we?"

He didn't answer for a moment, just winced when Betty suddenly cried out in pain. Once the glass was out of her hands, he cleaned them as sparingly as possible before bandaging them up. "I don't know." the young man suddenly answered.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, Betts, I'm okay." He was speaking out his hopes. Jughead didn't want to lie to her, but he couldn't worry her. No matter what he did. "How do you feel?"

Quiet breathing. "Better."

Jughead nodded in an attempt to convince himself she was going to be okay. Gingerly, he looked at her stomach. Blood smeared the pale pink jacket, and it was cut up pretty badly. He wasn't sure whether to take it off or leave it. Pulling at the gauze remaining, he winced. It was running out. Could he finish wrapping up her stomach?

"Betty, can you lift up your shirt for me?"

Betty sighed shakily and nodded. Carefully, she lifted it up, revealing numerous scratches all over her stomach. Jughead felt panic race through him. He wouldn't have enough gauze for it all. Bandaids? Those could work. After he got the glass out.

Inching closer, he watched as his girlfriend trembled against the unforgiving cold. "You're going to be fine," Jughead repeated, like a mantra. "You're going to be fine. You're going to be fine." Then he began tugging out the glass. One by one, the glass soon was piled in a bloody pile, away from them.

Quickly, he wrapped up the worst wounds in gauze before it eventually ran out. Searching desperately through the scattered supplies, he found bandaids and quickly placed them on the next worst wounds.

Betty's jacket fell back over her stomach, and she fell into his arms. Breathing in Betty's comforting feeling, Jughead gently touched his head to hers. Her salty tears streamed down both of their faces. Guiltily, he just held her until she stopped crying.

"Are we going to die out here?" The Serpent Queen asked after a long moment.

"No," Jughead answered immediately, followed by a terse silence. They didn't know that. They might. He was only hoping. "Do you feel better?"

The young woman laughed dryly, before wincing at the movement. "Yeah, but it's just so damn cold." Betty's voice shook and he hugged her closer. Jughead had a coat, Betty had a jacket. Beginning to slip off his coat, he felt Betty's ice-cold hands touch his face. "Don't. Keep your coat. You'll freeze without it."

Slowly, he nodded. He hated it, but he also knew Betty was right. And if he died, Betty would be out there alone.

He wouldn't leave her.

* * *

"Damn, where are they?" Archie cursed, checking his watch. Nestled in about three blankets, he glanced out the window again. The blizzard was just as bad as it had been all freaking day.

Veronica sat beside him and wrapped her arms around him. "They probably saw the blizzard warning and stayed an extra day." she soothed. "Cocoa?"

The young man turned his attention to his girlfriend and laughed. "Couldn't hurt, I guess. It's just… wouldn't they have texted us by now?" The red-head sighed in frustration and opened his phone's messages again. Nothing. Well, there was Archie questioning their whereabouts, but no reply.

"Archie, stop. They're fine." Veronica said a bit more forcefully. Seeing how he was upsetting her, Archie offered her an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, Ronnie, you're right. They're fine. I'm sure they'll reply in the morning."

The Lodge relaxed slightly and nodded, handing Archie a steaming mug of hot cocoa. He took it and sipped at the drink immediately, wincing at the boiling water that burned his lip. Veronica rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Wait for it to cool, would you?"

Archie placed the mug on his counter before taking Veronica's and putting it beside his. If it wasn't for the fact that they were different colors, the mugs were nearly identical. "We're under the mistletoe." he grinned.

The young woman laughed and kissed him gently. Then she pulled away and rested her head on his chest, staring out the window at the fierce snow blizzard raging outside. Archie followed her gaze and they stayed that way for a while.

Wondering.

"**It gives me strength to have somebody to fight for; I can never fight for myself, but, for others, I can kill." - Emilie Autumn**

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**A/N: Hope you enjoyed it! Review and favorite, please! Tell me, what do you want to see?**


	4. Chapter 4: Call for Help

**Chapter Four**

It felt like hours since Jughead had bandaged Betty, but time had started making no sense. Any sort of clock was unusable and it was so cold, the two weren't sure if they even cared enough to look for another source a time. It would only diminish hope even more.

Betty felt Jughead's arms around her, trying to warm her up. She hadn't spoken in a long time, neither of them had. They had to save their energy.

She was sure she would've cried, but out of fear of dehydration and stressing Jughead out, the young woman restrained herself. Shakily, she reached up to touch Jughead's face. He shifted, eyes opening. A thin smile spread to his face, but the emotion couldn't reach his eyes.

"Jug," Betty whispered hoarsely.

"What?"

"We need to move." she finished. While still feeling frozen, she wasn't in as much pain as before. At least the bandages provided some extra warmth.

Jughead groaned in disagreement, his increasingly blue lips quivering before he spoke. "I know."

Pushing herself up, Betty winced at the strain that rocked her entire body. Those tears were so close to falling now. She looked up and tried blinking them away. Breath. Breath. Breath.

Her boyfriend moved as well, getting up a bit easier, though she'd be lying to herself if she said he got up easily. His left leg buckled a bit, and she caught his shaky self, barely keeping herself up. Jughead apologized weakly and she dismissed it. He wasn't in a very good state. Neither of them were.

The cold was affecting him the worst, however. "The blanket," she mumbled quietly. Anger surged through her due to her failing voice. "You need the blanket." He opened his mouth to protest, but Betty shook her head. "We're wasting warmth by just laying on it."

Suddenly, a fresh pain seared through the young woman and she clenched her eyes shut. The tears spilled down her face like rain. She couldn't take it! Leaning heavily against the cars… she wasn't even sure what… the female took a steadying breath. It ended in a sob.

Her boyfriend wrapped his arms around, and she could hear him shaking beside her. They were both crying now. They stayed that way for a while before Jughead finally pulled away. Her tears felt like they were freezing to her face.

"It's so fucking hot," Jughead hissed out.

Betty paused, looking over at him. He cracked a weak smile at her. A surge of emotion washed through her. "It really is," she joked along. Betty's words cracked at the end.

The Serpent King shook his head. "Is that the most you can say? It's scalding out here. Like, where's my AC?" Jughead reached down to pick up the blanket. His hands shook as he pulled up the plaid padding that they'd been laying on. Glass clattered on the ground at the movement. "Where's the shade?"

Fanning her face, she stumbled forward to help wrap Jughead in the blanket. He opened it up last second and pulled her inside the heat. "It's like the freaking desert, where's my ice cream?" Betty managed, holding him close.

Together, they sunk to the hard ground. The blanket was cold, and yet the heat was trapped inside, unable to escape into the frigid weather outside.

They didn't speak much more, just held each other close and imagined. Imagined it was hot out. Imagined they were safe. Imagined they would live.

* * *

Something buzzed. Betty's eyes blinked open, screaming at her to recede back into her fantasy world. Jughead was laying down, and the young woman cuddled right against him.

As the tiredness slipped away as much as possible, Betty felt her exhaustion melt into fear. They'd fallen asleep! She lightly pressed her fingers to Jughead's neck. The faint pulse made her heart swell in relief. He was alive.

"Wa-" her voice died. "W-" gone again. She couldn't talk. A new fear fluttered inside her, rising and rising until it clawed its way up her throat. Her lips felt frozen. Nimbly, she reached up and touched her lips. They were ice cold.

Think warm thoughts. Ice. Think warm thoughts! Snow. Think warm thoughts! Blizzard. Stop!

Her very own thoughts and anxieties were betraying her, not letting her lie to herself anymore, she needed to focus on the truth. What had awakened her? Betty tried to think, and eventually remembered the two buzzes before arising.

They were too prominent to be Jughead's breathing, which she could hear now clearly as she rested her head on his chest. Her skin felt icy, but something… something was different. Then it hit her all once.

When her phone had fallen from Jughead's hands, she picked it up and cradled it to her chest. It reminded her of home, even if it was dead. Dead. The buzzes. Her phone!

Pushing away from her boyfriend as carefully as she could, she pulled the phone from her bra. It was the place closest to her heart. Where home belonged. The phone's light was blinding, and it was really only then she realized how late and dark it was. Betty winced but bit her inner lip to keep herself from shying away from the light.

Shakily, she swiped left, again and again, before her finger was finally registered and the screen was switched to the dial numbers. Call 911. Jamming her finger on the nine, she felt like sobbing when nothing happened. She did it again. And again. A nine showed up as being typed. Moving to the phone, she pushed down on the one. Success. The last one typed in just as easily.

Calling them was the hardest part, the call button seemed immune to her frozen- frostbite infected- fingers. Betty felt like screaming in rage. Then it worked.

Ring…

Ring…

Ring…

"911, what's you- gency?" Relief spread through Betty and she hugged the phone to her chest.

Realization dawned on her when the person repeated her first line. Betty needed to talk! The phone could die at any moment.

"We're stuck in a snowdrift," the words came out a determined croak. "We were on our way to Riverdale. The car wrecked."

There was silence. "I'm sorry, what?"

No! Betty swallowed hard. "Our car wrecked!" she yelled into the phone. Jughead shifted, and she felt his eyes on her as she screamed the next words. "On our way to Riverdale! Help!" Betty's voice waned louder and quieter as she repeated her message over and over. "Car wrecked on way to Riverdale."

"Betty," Jughead whispered. She looked up at his face with tear-stained eyes. "The phone's dead…"

She shook her head and shoved the phone into his hands. He looked at it, blinking slowly and with some emotion she couldn't place right away. Then Jughead shook his head. "Do you see? It's alive." Betty whispered pleadingly.

Her boyfriend pulled her close, kissing her forehead. "It's dead, Betts, I'm sorry."

Could she have been just imagining it?

She would've cried. But she couldn't anymore.

**"Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will." -Mahatma Gandhi**

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**A/N: Sorry for the wait, but I hope it was worth it! Would you like to see more Archie/Veronica POV? Every review helps! Thanks for reading!**


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